My advice would be to use one of the Mac specific remotes like Snatch or Rowmote -- whichever one works with XMBC/Boxee best, and the switch to the RedEye for your non-mac equipment -- just put all your remotes on the same screen, it is quick and easy to switch between apps.

Has anyone played with this yet? I know the hardware just started shipping, but the software has been around a bit, from what I'm reading.

It says it supports "Virtually all home entertainment devices with infrared capabilities"... I wonder if it's learning, or if they plan to build a device database like Harmony?

EDIT: Interesting, from the release notes on their site:

Quote:

What’s New in This Version
1. Online database of infrared codes. Beginning with this release, RedEye customers can download infrared codes for a wide variety of devices, including TVs, cable and satellite set-top boxes, A/V receivers, and DVD players. Because these codes are stored online, to access them your RedEye must be on a home network with a live Internet connection. Initially the database has many devices from the most popular brands, but over the next several weeks we will continue to add new codes until we have a comprehensive database including even obscure products.

EDIT: Interesting, from the release notes on their site: "Initially the database has many devices from the most popular brands, but over the next several weeks we will continue to add new codes until we have a comprehensive database including even obscure products."

My point above was, can we please have a way of looking at the device list without first spending $188? Yes, I did download & install the free app and from a cursory glance it does nothing until detects (in this case doesn't) the $188 hardware.

My point above was, can we please have a way of looking at the device list without first spending $188?

yeah - Ted I agree; Wish they would allow a database device browse before purchase. In this demo video they show how easy that would be for them to allow - in the device section they show him browsing those devices - looks reasonably healthy... they also show a little of the 'learning' process;

the second video shows some cool control motions using the accelerometer in the iPhone...

By the way - I decided to order one of these today and try it out; I'll post here what I find -
I use a Mini and AppleTV, have LG plasma display, Meridian audio, Lumagen video processing, Elite(Pioneer) disk-spinner, and a Comcast HD box -
I would be using one of the original iPhones for the remote on a 802.11g network via Time Capsule... that's the setup I'll test in a week or so when it arrives and report here...

Brief update - Received the RedEye a couple of days ago; Started to do some setup... but looks like it's defective, so they are overnighting a new one...

Support is pretty decent - they took me through the steps to fix it - It keeps dropping network connection... A couple of quick things I noticed getting as far as I did - To read the on-line database of codes you have to be internet connected of course. That means your iPhone/Touch must use a 802.11g connection, so you'll want to insure that doesn't drop your 802.11n network speed (use a separate network connection);

For those wondering about size of database - It presented me with something well over 500 Manufacturers including all of mine Elite, LG, comcast cable box, Meridian; There's no Lumagen, so I'll teach that on...

So far setup looks reasonably straight forward but I didn't get very far yet...

It comes initially setup as a RedEye Wifi network that's open, so you'll want to use your own; The order is a bit tricky initially - you have to use the RedEye network first to tell it about your own; Once it connects, then you have to reset your iPhone back to your own. I was concerned the RedEye open network would remain, but they appropriately disable that one once you have your own in place - so no security holes in your network. You do give it the password though, so if you ever give the RedEye receiver away, make sure you reset it...

Otherwise nothing else yet to report - hopefully the replacement will be fine and I can get setup over the weekend; It's a Christmas present for the wife who hates using the multiple remotes...

will do Ted - It's easy to check the manufacturer - the model numbers don't come up as they present you with a list of trials to see which set of codes to use for your particular model of that manufacturer; But I asked them on the phone today while I was there for tech support- they said once the mfg is in the database, virtually all model numbers are supported because they tend to use the same codes across devices... When you select a device, they require you to select the device type (TV, REceiver, etc.); That must be how they narrow the code groups sufficiently. When I did my LG TV for example, they only had 2 test trials to get it

I'll check mfg for you, but based on what I saw, the odds of your Denon being there are high and the Toshiba too; I'll check Oppo as well - I know the 83 is the new BD player, but they likely use the same codes as their other players... - stay tuned

I probably won't receive the replacement until Monday (maybe tomorrow); We discovered the problem though. From the factory the unit needs a software upgrade which is done automatically from the redEye app (assuming you are attached to internet); But during this update if your phone switches out of WiFi to 3G/Edge it screws it up and there's no way to recover; That's what mine did; They tell you to switch to Airplane mode to prevent this, but I didn't follow that direction; Once updated, you can operate without Airplane mode...

If anybody gets one - make sure on first turn Airplane mode on, then turn WiFi on; Once you update, you can just turn Airplane mode off again...

It looks like a competitor has come forward to this product. More information next month.

For me, the whole attraction of the RedEye is the fact that I DON'T have to have some dongle hanging off my phone. I suppose that works if you have a iPod Touch that lives in the vicinity, but for a phone that lives on my person, I don't want to have to plug the thingie into the phone everytime I flop down on the sofa for some TV, and then detach it when I leave the room (or walk out the front door).

For me, the whole attraction of the RedEye is the fact that I DON'T have to have some dongle hanging off my phone. I suppose that works if you have a iPod Touch that lives in the vicinity, but for a phone that lives on my person, I don't want to have to plug the thingie into the phone everytime I flop down on the sofa for some TV, and then detach it when I leave the room (or walk out the front door).

I actually have my old (original gen.) iPhone which I use as a dedicated HT remote, so I have no objection there. I also have components in different rooms, so this would save me $188 for an extra RedEye gizmo for the bedroom. Also my living room components are somewhat widely spaced -- I have concerns about pointing a fixed IR transmitter. Set up should in theory be much easier, and it won't stop working if a neighbor steps on your WiFi signal. No extra WAF inducing device/power cord.

My main worry is vaporitis. After all UI Remote was supposed to be the same thing, it was supposedly quite far along, heck, the NY Times had a big article about it, and then -- crickets. What do we have with the Rē™ Remote Control -- a website with a CES announcement. No dates, no price, no list of components, no beta program. I sure hope it materializes.

P.S. I scrolled through the UI Remote comments and there is an anonymous comment claiming the UI Remote guys were bought out by Logitech (who saw it as a threat to their business) and signed a NDA, thus the complete radio silence. Take that with two truckfulls of salt, but it actually makes a little bit of sense.

Current state of EyeTV friendly remotes:
RowMote has finally fixed the forward skip button on their remote to work properly with EyeTV, also works fine with Front Row etc. Their server so far is more reliable than Snatch. Downside: not 100% responsive -- sometimes you have to hit a button 2/3 times especially if it has been sitting for a while.

Snatch is very frustrating to me, because it has great usability/design -- but their server has been very unreliable for me. It works fine for a while after boot and then stops responding. The one time I got motivated to post on their forums, they were down....

Which leaves me right back with PokeEye -- it does the least but is 100% responsive, server is absolutely rock solid. Wish our friend Setok would do an update, at least to fix the recording list/Snow Leopard bug.

yeah - I can see the Rē being attractive for some.. Has a nice portability factor to it as well... So far the service from RedEye has been very good - I'm not getting that Vaporware feeling, but the verdict is still out... (I've had their stuff before with decent results); I agree with Ted's concern though; That's why I've held off as well...

There is a link on their site to the CES show. It opens in about two weeks. I would imagine they would not book an exhibit at this show so soon if there was no product yet to display.

I don't doubt they have a product to display -- the UI Remote people had one too. After all the Times article about them wasn't written by Jayson Blair and they had demo video and everything.

Just that anything involving hardware has the extra steps of mass manufacturing, pricing, sales, marketing that can be difficult to deal with. That or I shouldn't have read the Wired article about Duke Nukem Forever yesterday. I've had vaporware on the brain ever since Really I do expect them to deliver -- just trying to keep my own hopes and dreams in check.

OK - Finally came and I spent a few hours setting up; Still more to do, but accomplished enough to give a early diagnosis.
Library of IR codes seems large - As I mentioned before, you select the Mfg, then the Device Category(type), it then retrieves via Internet a set of choices;
They had my LG TV nailed, Comcast cable box, Apple computer, etc. They did not have my EliteDVD player, but a Pioneer DVD generic worked most commands; They did not have my Lumagen video processor;

Ted: Denon receivers showed 5 possible selections, Oppo DVD Players 2, and Toshiba TVs 4; The odds are very much in your favor those all will map out of the box.

Also, the learning of commands was easy and solid; Designed pretty well to enter them rapidly;

Overall, my impressions are pretty positive (I'll be keeping it); Not without complaints I'll get to in a second; First the generally positive: the database is extensive regarding IR, the design itself is well thought out and relatively easy to deal with - It reminds me a little of the Pronto stuff.

The breadth and depth seems string; They covered different Rooms, Activity based interface for macro stuff, strong device type definitions, and a nice integration to the iPhone/Touch with custom assignment to any button of accelerometer, and multi-touch swipes; I even was able to get 'press n hold' to work on the Apple TV for popping up chapters during play... (Front Row works fine for those with Minis although I'm not a user, I did test it briefly);

I have volume with a flick of the wrist right and left - work pretty good..

They deal with the now infamous Toggle Power issues by allowing buttons to be types as toggle, repeating, etc. I personally hate non-discrete power on/off issues - I was able to customize my method for dealing with it by creating an ON and OFF activity that turns my system on and shuts it down - then each Watch activity just switches sources; Making this work depends on letting me programmatically define Activity launch and shutdown commands which it does allow.

They seem to have all the Channel icons and other button icons there out of the box ; Do a decent job of giving you a 'guessed' button layout - then letting you customize it;

The blast radius seems pretty good - mine sits about 13 feet from the gear- They have several blasters in the dock that provide a spray; Still has to be line of site generally though, but the radius is pretty wide...

On the downside: Software is bit buggy - during setup some crashes and some things didn't quite work without a workaround - but fortunately once the items are saved to the device - you just relaunch the app and start where you left off - I haven't had it lose any work; Also, the channel icons are B/W - I would like to have color - later no doubt; Also, response time is usually good, but occasionally lags just a bit..

Anyway, it's a xmas present for the wife so I have to gat back and finish some details...

Overall, a good product with good coverage in both breadth and depth of capability , but clearly needs a few software updates to clean up the bugs...

The blast radius seems pretty good - mine sits about 13 feet from the gear- They have several blasters in the dock that provide a spray; Still has to be line of site generally though, but the radius is pretty wide...

Can you give any quantification for "pretty wide"? How is the vertical "radius"? My components are at varying heights.

Any tendency for IR signals not to register (as opposed to software based non-responsiveness)? I am figuring that software bugs can be fixed, but the hardware is what it is. We'll also see how prompt the bug fixes are.

I am very tempted, but I guess the smart thing to do is to wait until CES and see what the competition has to say for themselves -- I have a definite incentive to wait for the Rē with hardware in separate rooms.

hey Ted-
yeah - I'd put the horizontal dispersion at 45deg at least (each left and right for a total of 90 coverage); the vertical dispersion similar, maybe a bit less - at 13 feet distance unit on the floor, I have gear that spans vertically about 6 feet high. The highest (TV) as also at a 45deg angle horizontally and it picks it up fine.

I've had no missed sent signals (hardware registered); In fact that surprised me a couple of times when signal was missed I checked the software and sure enough I had put in the wrong command.

My biggest complaint is the buggy crash stuff - which happens mostly in setup mode because it's consistently storing the changed settings to the base. Most of the problems are clearly memory management rules being broken as the iPhone OSX forces the entire app to shut down; Once in Operational mode, it's not a problem.. but they clearly have more software work to do. Feature wise though, its quite good and well thought out.. Another 'worry' I have is a backup of the configuration. Sure would hate to have to redo it; Use on multiple phones works nice as it syncs the config to any phone talking to the base...

Good idea to check out CES before committing. I plan on getting a Tablet right away, so this solution better fits my situation - i like the Rē idea too though...

Looks like the IR iPhone remote market is about to get one more player - L5 Technology - at $50 -- see Loopinsight article Looks like L5 hasn't done their website yet. This one is the same concept as the Rē™

The L5 website is now up. No release date given (February?). Seems it is a straight learning remote -- no predefined devices advertised.

For the PS3 question above -- L5's FAQ *claims* that the iPhone's Bluetooth is not enabled to transmit the stuff necessary to control a PS3. They don't specify if this is a iPhone API limitation that could be fixed in a future iPhone OS release or a hardware limitation. But if L5 are correct, the current iPhone (software/hardware) can not be turned into a PS3 remote.

The IR adapter of the L5 Remote is a bit smaller than the one from NewKinetix though its app offers fewer features comparatively. Both devices are not yet available with planned releases in Q1. The NewKinetix Rē will cost $69.95 and the L5 Remote will cost $49.99 while the apps for each will be available for free in the App Store. Compared to universal remotes by Logitech and other companies that have a fixed button lay-out and can cost up to several hundred dollars, these iPhone/iPod touch accessories should provide viable alternatives to users at a lower cost.

I am looking to integrate the ability of iTouch to show playlist/album flow etc. with my IR remote to control my HT equipment. The main reason I am looking to do that is because I don't always want to fire up my plasma TV just to view iTune/Front Row when playing music.

According to this forum, available solutions seem to be either (i) IR dongle or (ii) IR/charging base for the iPhone/iTouch device. I like the dongle idea but hate to have to unplug it often in order to charge the iTouch. The IR base solution also doesn't work for me because there is no place for me to put the charging base so that it is facing my HT equipment.

My question is: Does anybody know of an IR universal remote that will work with iTune and display content/playlist on the remote itself?

My question is: Does anybody know of an IR universal remote that will work with iTune and display content/playlist on the remote itself?

Not sure I fully understand your question, but... No. IR is one-way only -- transmit, but no receive. Which means you wouldn't be able to get metadata from iTunes to the iPod Touch over IR.

If Apple doesn't provide this kind of iTunes browsing themselves on the Tablet, someone else will. The only problem is that whoever that is most likely won't also include the ability to control your A/V receiver. At worst, you'll need two different apps -- one for iTunes control and another to control your hardware and you'll have to switch back-and-forth. Oh, and you'll need a Tablet.

Thanks for your comment. To clarify, I guess what I am looking for is, ideally, a tablet-style universal remote that can control my HT (IR-based) and can interact with the Mac (wifi) for iTune/Front Row browsing.

The wifi-to-IR converter (along with an iTouch) mentioned in this forum allows me to do that technically but I am hoping for a more elegant solution.